SEAI heat study highlights urgent need for heat sector decarbonisation

The SEAI Heat study published this week highlights the urgent need for Government to move quickly on decarbonisation of Ireland’s heating sector. This is an important step in making Irish homes & buildings warmer, healthier, and fossil-free. Friends of the Earth has summarised some of the main findings [1].

Emissions from the Irish heating sector have increased by 13% since 2014, and based on this new analysis, the sector is highly unlikely to stay within its carbon budget target with current policy measures in place.

The key takeaway from the SEAI study is that the Government must act urgently, go beyond even the new retrofitting scheme just announced in February and put additional policies in place to decarbonise Irish homes.

Clare O’Connor, Energy Policy Officer with the Friends of the Earth said:

“Friends of the Earth particularly supports the SEAI’s recommendations that the Government must set a clear timeline for fossil fuel phase-out. We also recommend that the Government deploy district heating at scale and prioritise the installation of heat pumps in homes and buildings. Not acting on these recommendations not only leaves us at serious risk of not meeting climate obligations but also leaving Irish homes locked-into expensive, polluting, fossil fuel heating for years to come.

The Government has already committed to effectively banning the installation of fossil fuel boilers in new homes by 2023. Ireland must follow other EU Member States by putting in place the necessary policies to phase out fossil fuel heating. For example in the Netherlands, legislation is already in place to end new connections to the gas grid and policy is also supporting the transition of 1.5 million homes away from gas by 2030.

We also have to remember that we are in the middle of a global gas crisis with energy bills rapidly increasing. We welcome SEAI’s call for increased policy ambition and fast action but it is crucial that this transition is done in a way that prioritises vulnerable households first, to ensure that those at risk of energy poverty are not left behind as we move away from fossil fuels.”

ENDS

Notes

1. Friends of the Earth has summarised some of the main findings and our key takeaways from the report:

• A timeline and plan for fossil-fuel phase-out must urgently be put in place if we are to reach Net Zero by 2050. This must include new and additional policy measures to ensure the complete phase-out of fossil fuels.
• An unprecedented level of additional policy effort beyond the policies laid out in the current Climate Action Plan is needed in the heating sector to stay within carbon budget limits.
• As heat-using sectors now carry a larger share of the decarbonisation target, the pace of fossil fuel phase-out must further increase, and fossil fuels must begin to be phased out before 2025.
• Rapidly decarbonising Ireland’s buildings will require policy measures that maximise the number of owners that choose to replace fossil fuels for heating. Heat pumps will play a crucial role in this rapid decarbonisation, and the SEAI report suggests that undertaking energy efficiency measures in homes should be seen primarily as drivers for installing low-carbon heating technology like heat pumps.